Evidence That Field Muskmelon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. <i>agrestis</i> Naud.) Fruits Are Solids of Revolution
In nature, the fruit shapes of many plants resemble avian eggs, a form extensively studied as solids of revolution. Despite this, the hypothesis that egg-shaped fruits are themselves solids of revolution remains unvalidated. To address this, 751 <i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. <i>agres...
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MDPI AG
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/24/4186 |
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| author | Ke He Cang Hui Weihao Yao Jinfeng Wang Lin Wang Qiying Li Peijian Shi |
| author_facet | Ke He Cang Hui Weihao Yao Jinfeng Wang Lin Wang Qiying Li Peijian Shi |
| author_sort | Ke He |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In nature, the fruit shapes of many plants resemble avian eggs, a form extensively studied as solids of revolution. Despite this, the hypothesis that egg-shaped fruits are themselves solids of revolution remains unvalidated. To address this, 751 <i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. <i>agrestis</i> Naud. fruits were photographed, and the two-dimensional (2D) boundary coordinates of each fruit profile were digitized. Then, the explicit Preston equation (EPE), a universal egg-shape model, was used to fit the 2D boundary coordinates to obtain the estimates of the EPE’s parameters of each fruit. Under the hypothesis that egg-shaped fruits are solids of revolution, the fruit volumes were estimated using the solid of revolution formula based on the estimated EPE’s parameters. To test whether the fruits are solids of revolution, the fruit volumes were measured by using a graduated cylinder and compared with the estimated volumes using the solid of revolution formula. The EPE was demonstrated to be valid in describing the 2D profiles of <i>C. melo</i> var. <i>agrestis</i> fruits. There was a significant correlation between the measured fruit volumes using the graduated cylinder and the estimated fruit volumes using the solid of revolution formula based on the estimated EPE’s parameters. Acknowledging potential measurement errors, particularly fruit fuzz causing air bubbles during volume measurements, we recognize slight deviations between measured volumes and estimated values. Despite this, our findings strongly suggest that <i>C. melo</i> var. <i>agrestis</i> fruits are solids of revolution. This study contributes insights into the evolutionary aspects of fruit geometries in plants with egg-shaped fruits and introduces a practical tool for non-destructively calculating fruit volume and surface area based on photographed 2D fruit profiles. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T18:34:45Z |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T18:34:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-6394e8cc79194f50a2ffbe180cd0116c2023-12-29T15:47:37ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472023-12-011224418610.3390/plants12244186Evidence That Field Muskmelon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. <i>agrestis</i> Naud.) Fruits Are Solids of RevolutionKe He0Cang Hui1Weihao Yao2Jinfeng Wang3Lin Wang4Qiying Li5Peijian Shi6Architectural Design and Research Institute, Shenzhen University, #3688 Nanhai Avenue, Shenzhen 518000, ChinaCentre for Invasion Biology, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South AfricaBamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, #159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, ChinaBamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, #159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, ChinaBamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, #159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, ChinaBamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, #159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, ChinaBamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, #159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, ChinaIn nature, the fruit shapes of many plants resemble avian eggs, a form extensively studied as solids of revolution. Despite this, the hypothesis that egg-shaped fruits are themselves solids of revolution remains unvalidated. To address this, 751 <i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. <i>agrestis</i> Naud. fruits were photographed, and the two-dimensional (2D) boundary coordinates of each fruit profile were digitized. Then, the explicit Preston equation (EPE), a universal egg-shape model, was used to fit the 2D boundary coordinates to obtain the estimates of the EPE’s parameters of each fruit. Under the hypothesis that egg-shaped fruits are solids of revolution, the fruit volumes were estimated using the solid of revolution formula based on the estimated EPE’s parameters. To test whether the fruits are solids of revolution, the fruit volumes were measured by using a graduated cylinder and compared with the estimated volumes using the solid of revolution formula. The EPE was demonstrated to be valid in describing the 2D profiles of <i>C. melo</i> var. <i>agrestis</i> fruits. There was a significant correlation between the measured fruit volumes using the graduated cylinder and the estimated fruit volumes using the solid of revolution formula based on the estimated EPE’s parameters. Acknowledging potential measurement errors, particularly fruit fuzz causing air bubbles during volume measurements, we recognize slight deviations between measured volumes and estimated values. Despite this, our findings strongly suggest that <i>C. melo</i> var. <i>agrestis</i> fruits are solids of revolution. This study contributes insights into the evolutionary aspects of fruit geometries in plants with egg-shaped fruits and introduces a practical tool for non-destructively calculating fruit volume and surface area based on photographed 2D fruit profiles.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/24/4186drought-tolerant plantexplicit Preston equationfield muskmelonfruits shapemeasurement errorvine |
| spellingShingle | Ke He Cang Hui Weihao Yao Jinfeng Wang Lin Wang Qiying Li Peijian Shi Evidence That Field Muskmelon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. <i>agrestis</i> Naud.) Fruits Are Solids of Revolution Plants drought-tolerant plant explicit Preston equation field muskmelon fruits shape measurement error vine |
| title | Evidence That Field Muskmelon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. <i>agrestis</i> Naud.) Fruits Are Solids of Revolution |
| title_full | Evidence That Field Muskmelon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. <i>agrestis</i> Naud.) Fruits Are Solids of Revolution |
| title_fullStr | Evidence That Field Muskmelon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. <i>agrestis</i> Naud.) Fruits Are Solids of Revolution |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evidence That Field Muskmelon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. <i>agrestis</i> Naud.) Fruits Are Solids of Revolution |
| title_short | Evidence That Field Muskmelon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L. var. <i>agrestis</i> Naud.) Fruits Are Solids of Revolution |
| title_sort | evidence that field muskmelon i cucumis melo i l var i agrestis i naud fruits are solids of revolution |
| topic | drought-tolerant plant explicit Preston equation field muskmelon fruits shape measurement error vine |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/24/4186 |
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